diff --git a/src/core/nginx.c b/src/core/nginx.c
index a5fbccd..80a5d18 100644
--- a/src/core/nginx.c
+++ b/src/core/nginx.c
@@ -859,14 +859,11 @@
 #else
 
 #ifdef NGX_CONF_PREFIX
-        cycle->conf_prefix.len = sizeof(NGX_CONF_PREFIX) - 1;
-        cycle->conf_prefix.data = (u_char *) NGX_CONF_PREFIX;
+        ngx_str_set(&cycle->conf_prefix, NGX_CONF_PREFIX);
 #else
-        cycle->conf_prefix.len = sizeof(NGX_PREFIX) - 1;
-        cycle->conf_prefix.data = (u_char *) NGX_PREFIX;
+        ngx_str_set(&cycle->conf_prefix, NGX_PREFIX);
 #endif
-        cycle->prefix.len = sizeof(NGX_PREFIX) - 1;
-        cycle->prefix.data = (u_char *) NGX_PREFIX;
+        ngx_str_set(&cycle->prefix, NGX_PREFIX);
 
 #endif
     }
@@ -876,8 +873,7 @@
         cycle->conf_file.data = ngx_conf_file;
 
     } else {
-        cycle->conf_file.len = sizeof(NGX_CONF_PATH) - 1;
-        cycle->conf_file.data = (u_char *) NGX_CONF_PATH;
+        ngx_str_set(&cycle->conf_file, NGX_CONF_PATH);
     }
 
     if (ngx_conf_full_name(cycle, &cycle->conf_file, 0) != NGX_OK) {
@@ -993,8 +989,7 @@
 
 
     if (ccf->pid.len == 0) {
-        ccf->pid.len = sizeof(NGX_PID_PATH) - 1;
-        ccf->pid.data = (u_char *) NGX_PID_PATH;
+        ngx_str_set(&ccf->pid, NGX_PID_PATH);
     }
 
     if (ngx_conf_full_name(cycle, &ccf->pid, 0) != NGX_OK) {
@@ -1042,8 +1037,7 @@
 
 
     if (ccf->lock_file.len == 0) {
-        ccf->lock_file.len = sizeof(NGX_LOCK_PATH) - 1;
-        ccf->lock_file.data = (u_char *) NGX_LOCK_PATH;
+        ngx_str_set(&ccf->lock_file, NGX_LOCK_PATH);
     }
 
     if (ngx_conf_full_name(cycle, &ccf->lock_file, 0) != NGX_OK) {
diff --git a/src/core/ngx_conf_file.c b/src/core/ngx_conf_file.c
index 6d5f510..20d9af9 100644
--- a/src/core/ngx_conf_file.c
+++ b/src/core/ngx_conf_file.c
@@ -903,8 +903,7 @@
     ngx_open_file_t  *file;
 
 #if (NGX_SUPPRESS_WARN)
-    full.len = 0;
-    full.data = NULL;
+    ngx_str_null(&full);
 #endif
 
     if (name->len) {
diff --git a/src/core/ngx_file.c b/src/core/ngx_file.c
index b5160f3..ed6d842 100644
--- a/src/core/ngx_file.c
+++ b/src/core/ngx_file.c
@@ -825,8 +825,7 @@
     ngx_str_t   file, buf;
     ngx_dir_t   dir;
 
-    buf.len = 0;
-    buf.data = NULL;
+    ngx_str_null(&buf);
 
     ngx_log_debug1(NGX_LOG_DEBUG_CORE, ctx->log, 0,
                    "walk tree \"%V\"", tree);
diff --git a/src/core/ngx_log.c b/src/core/ngx_log.c
index 770a590..c0485c6 100644
--- a/src/core/ngx_log.c
+++ b/src/core/ngx_log.c
@@ -429,8 +429,7 @@
     value = cf->args->elts;
 
     if (ngx_strcmp(value[1].data, "stderr") == 0) {
-        name.len = 0;
-        name.data = NULL;
+        ngx_str_null(&name);
 
     } else {
         name = value[1];
diff --git a/src/core/ngx_string.h b/src/core/ngx_string.h
index b29bdda..53b9422 100644
--- a/src/core/ngx_string.h
+++ b/src/core/ngx_string.h
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@
 
 #define ngx_string(str)     { sizeof(str) - 1, (u_char *) str }
 #define ngx_null_string     { 0, NULL }
+#define ngx_str_set(str, text)                                               \
+    (str)->len = sizeof(text) - 1; (str)->data = (u_char *) text
+#define ngx_str_null(str)   (str)->len = 0; (str)->data = NULL
 
 
 #define ngx_tolower(c)      (u_char) ((c >= 'A' && c <= 'Z') ? (c | 0x20) : c)